


Life After

by iamawoken



Series: Learning to Love [2]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Established Rayllum, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Interracial By Fantasy Standards, Interracial Relationship, Love, Prison, Prison Escape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-06-25 14:52:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19747975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamawoken/pseuds/iamawoken
Summary: Rayla and Callum fell in love and returned Zym. Their reward was not what they expected. Now sentenced to prison for forty years, they must find a way to escape if they ever want to live a normal life.Meanwhile, Ezran deals with the consequences of Xadia imprisoning a prince of Katolis and one of his new best friends.





	1. Forty Years

**Author's Note:**

> Important note. I changed the sentence from two years to forty years in “Best Friends”. I felt like it was important to the plot that Rayllum felt desperate to get out, rather than just biding their time.

Forty years. Forty long years.

Callum was stunned. No, that wasn’t the right word. He was terrified. He had barely made it to fifteen. The sentence was more than double how long he had already been alive. He couldn’t imagine it. He didn’t  _ want _ to imagine it. 

He barely noticed as Rayla helped him walk out of the lair. Everything was dimmer than before, as if to match his new found despair. He was supposed to have a life after this, a life with Rayla and his brother. Now what did he have? Was this the last time he would feel her presence against him? The last time he would feel her touch this intensely? 

They stepped out into the hallway. No one was waiting for them yet, but they could hear the on coming footsteps from down the hall. Rayla looked around frantically, trying to find a way out, but she couldn’t. Instead, she turned to Callum and cupped both his cheeks. Before he realized what was happening, she smashed her lips into his.

It was a desperate kiss, a kiss meant to last forty years. Callum leaned into her, grabbing her waist as gently and passionately as he could. His legs were still hurt, but he refused to let them get in the way of this. 

They barely paused for air, knowing that any time they wasted breathing was a second longer they would be apart. Callum noticed the moisture against his face first. He pulled away for a moment.

“Rayla, you’re crying?”

“Of course I am crying, you dummy! I love you, and they are trying to tear us apart. I am so sorry for this. It was my idea to return Zym. My idea to come here. My sense of duty that pushed this course of action. I’m so so sorry…” Rayla was near sobbing now.

“Stop, Rayla. It’s not your fault. I didn’t think people could be so hateful, either. We may not be able to hold eachother or kiss each other, but we will have each other. I promise.” The tears were now flowing down Callum’s face as well. He wasn’t sure if he believed what he told Rayla. He didn’t know what to believe anymore. But he had to try and be strong for her just like she always was for him.

They embraced again for one final kiss before the guards rounded the corner. There was a certain finality as their lips parted. Callum wanted to believe it wouldn’t be their last kiss, but he wasn’t optimistic. 

Silently, Rayla returned to his side and helped him back down the winding path to the dreary future that awaited them.

**Year One**

Rayla assumed that it wasn’t healthy, being so furious all the time. But she couldn’t help it-- what else was there to do?

It had been two days since their forty-year sentence had begun, and Rayla already felt like she was going crazy.

Sure, the guards had been nice enough to bring them better beds and more suitable arrangements for using the restroom, but that was about it. So far, they had only received two meals each day with some fruit in the evening that was presumably meant to be consumed the next morning. 

Rayla supposed that she should be grateful that she was a prisoner of Skywing elves and not of her own people. She had heard tales of the Moonshadow prison. A building steeped in the total despair that it brought its prisoners. If she had been there, she would have been chained by her hands in pitch black, unable to speak, see, or move. This was a blessing in comparison. 

Still, she was angry. Her blood had practically never stopped boiling since that damned dragon had announced their sentence. The only thing, or should she say person, that had been able to bring her respite, was Callum. 

Callum.

Gods did she miss his comforting touch. It had only been two days since she had been held in his embrace, but she was already yearning for it.

For his part, Callum had been rather silent since they had been locked up. He had told her it was because he didn’t want the guards to hear what he wanted to say. But, by now, they knew that the guards were stationed  _ outside _ the entrance to their prison, not the inside.

“Callum? Are you still with me?”

“Always,” came his quiet response. 

“Then talk to me. We are going to be here a while and we have a couple things we need to discuss, ok?” She felt as if she was making a convincing argument. But she knew there was one thing she could do to get him to engage. 

Rayla hopped off her bed and made her way to the grate. They had agreed not to use it for the first few months because they didn’t want to alert the guards that they still had a way to feel and touch each other, even if it was just with their hands.

But this seemed like as good as an excuse as any.

She sat down near the grate and peered into Callum’s cell. Rayla couldn’t immediately make him out. In fact, she couldn’t see him at all. 

“Callum?”

She heard some shifting and suddenly, Callum’s face came into view. He had been sitting right next to the grate this whole time. 

His face was contorted in a painful grimace. His breathing was short and labored. There were wet marks where tears had been streaming down his face. A brief tremble had overtaken his body.

The small smile that Rayla had worn on her face to greet her mate drooped into a frown. Her ears pinned back and she instinctively reached out to touch Callum. She wiggled her right hand through the grate and managed to reach his face.

Her four fingers cupped his cheek as she wiped away the still-drying tears. Callum’s shivers immediately stopped as he leaned into her hand. His skin was cold to the touch and paler than usual. 

“Rayla..I’m…”

“Don’t you dare apologize to me, Callum. How long has this been going on? The whole two days?” Her voice was stern, but soft.

He simply nodded in response.

Rayla let out a long sigh. “Please don’t keep things from me, love.” The new nickname flowed nicely off her tongue, she wondered if Callum liked it. She got her answer immediately.

“Mmmmmm,” he hummed, “I am really sorry. I wanted to be strong. It’s only day two, Rayla. I am so scared. Forty years!? How are we supposed to get through that? Will I even survive that long?”

“We don’t need to be strong for each other, Callum. We need to be  _ there  _ for each other. Also, do you really think I am going to let us rot in here for forty years?” She smiled mischievously. She didn’t  _ actually  _ have a plan. But she was going to make one.

“Oh, you have a plan? Of course you do, how could I even think otherwise?” Callum rolled his eyes a little playfully. Rayla was happy his mood was improving. She hadn’t let her hand fall from his face and continued to rub her thumb over his cheek. He was warmer now and some of his color had returned. 

“Not yet, but we will come up with one, ok? Until then, I am going to keep rubbing your face until you feel better. Then, we are going to switch and you are going to rub mine, deal?” She desperately wished she could break down the wall between them and snuggle him as close as possible to herself. But she couldn’t. They would have to fight their way out for that privilege.

Rayla planned to do just that.

\---

Ezran was beside himself. Only two months prior he was with his brother, Rayla, and Zym trying to bring peace to the continent. Now, he was confined to his old room, trying not to worry. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to move into his parent’s chambers, yet. It was still too painful. He wasn’t sure if he would ever want to sleep in the same room as where his father died. 

But what was really getting to Ezran was the dream he had the night before. He saw through Zym’s eyes like he had many nights before. Usually, it was a lot of the same. Zym flying, Zym catching bugs, Zym riding on Callum’s shoulder. Sometimes, he even got a glimpse of Callum and Rayla’s developing relationship. The last glimpse he had gotten of them was them kissing and telling each other that they loved one another. It was gross. Cute. But gross. Is this what Callum had meant by sandwiches?

This dream was different, though. Zym was with another storm dragon. There was no sign of Callum or Rayla. Ezran could also feel that Zym was upset. Reuniting with his mother was not what he had expected. He missed Rayla and Callum. Where were they? Why couldn’t he see them?

When Ezran woke up, he was terrified. Surely, after returning Zym, Callum and Rayla would have contacted him? Even if they hadn’t, he had expected to hear from Xadia in some form or fashion. But it had been two days, and nothing had changed. 

The Xadian army had maintained its position at the breach and he had received no information that they planned to do otherwise. 

If only Callum were here, he would know what to do.

  
  
—-

Rayla’s first plan was sure to be a success, or so she told Callum 

The gist of it was pretty simple: wait until the full moon, turn on “Moonshadow powers”, beat a bunch of guards up when they brought dinner, carry Callum to safety and boom! They were free.

Rayla was hyper that day. She even went as far to try and kiss Callum through the grate (they hadn’t quite been able to figure that out, yet).

When the evening came, Rayla began to feel the pull of the moon. She was close. She would be able to turn invisible any moment now. Then, when the guards came with their dinner, they would be home free.

But that night, the guards didn’t come for dinner. Instead, they came with chains. When they opened the door to their section of the prison, Callum immediately heard more footsteps than usual. These were followed by hushed voices:

“Be careful with this one, she is a particularly threatening Moon elf.”

“She will do anything for that human, it's disgusting.”

“I wonder if he has her under a dark magic spell, how could any of our kind fall for that filth?”

“The Dragon Queen says it is real love, which is even worse.”

When they opened Rayla’s cell, Callum heard a crash, followed by several surprised shouts. It seemed that Rayla had managed to surprise them. But it was hardly a fair fight. The guards were fully armed, Rayla had no weapons, she was in an enclosed space, and her moon powers had not taken full effect yet. 

Callum heard a muffled shriek. His breath hitched in his throat and his stomach clenched in terror.

“Rayla!”

No answer.

“Rayla!” He could feel his vocal chords contracting as hard as they could as his dry throat desperately screamed her name.

The next thing he heard were the sounds of muffled chains, followed by the locking of Rayla’s cell. Just like that, the guards were gone.

Callum scrambled over to the grate. He could just barely make out Rayla. She was chained to the wall across from the cell door. She looked to be unconscious, but she still wore a defeated look on her face. She was ok, but her plan to escape the forty years of separation had failed. 


	2. Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezran deals with Callum and Rayla's disappearance the only way he knows how. Rayla hatches a new escape plan. Callum makes an awkward admission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I am so sorry for this delay! I had some negative comments on my first chapter of this series and wasn't sure if I wanted to continue, but people have been encouraging me to keep going, so I have! This chapter gets a little PG-13 at the end, but nothing crazy.
> 
> Thanks to SeaWitch and Deh_Peh for the editing help! Thanks to Decorated for some moments of inspiration!

Everything was different now.

Nine months after his first dream, Ezran decided that it was likely that Callum and Rayla were killed by Xadia. A funeral was planned. There was resistance, at first, to including Rayla in the observation, but Ezran had been adamant. He observed preparations personally, keeping on a stoic face during the planning, and crying himself to sleep every night. 

The end result was beautiful. They would be symbolically laid to rest together. Ezran thought that they would have preferred that, given how close they had become. The council fought him, as that distinction was normally reserved for married couples. But Ezran didn’t care, he was King and they would do as they were told. 

The colors for the funeral were bright. Katolis red mixed with Moonshadow green. It struck Ezran how beautiful the colors would have been for a wedding. But that wasn’t possible now. The unity they had hoped to bring the world had been incinerated by Xadia’s cruelty.

The day of the funeral, Ezran took his seat, silently observing the proceedings. Pieces of Callum’s art from over the years were displayed all through the castle. To represent the couple, Ezran had commissioned an artist to paint them hand in hand staring off into an infinite horizon. The artist had struggled getting Rayla right because he had nothing but Ezran’s description of her to go off of. But eventually, he was able to get stunningly close. As officials and nobles made their way by the painting to pay their respects, Ezran took careful note of those that scoffed in disgust at the couple. He added each of those people to his mental  _ list _ . Callum and Rayla were family. Those who wouldn’t or couldn’t recognize that had no place in Katolis.

The funeral proceeded without any issues. Ezran had opted not to speak for fear of breaking down in front of his people. They needed him to be strong now, more than ever.

That night, Ezran returned to his chambers. The door was barely locked behind him when he let out the silent sobs he had been holding in all day. He had lost everything. His mother, his father, his brother, and his new best friend. All they had been trying to achieve was peace. Their message of love had been met with a cruelty beyond belief. 

But that was ok. Those who could not be motivated by love had to be motivated by something else.

Fear.

\----

Now, when they talked about the first escape attempt, they laughed about it. It was foolish of them to think it could be that easy. A year and a half later, they were still trying to figure out how to get out.

Luckily, they had realized one important thing from that first failure, they could tell how many months passed based on Rayla’s pull towards the moon. Every time the guards came to chain Rayla down, roughly one month had passed. 

Most days they spent near the grate, trading childhood stories and loving words. Not a waking hour went by where they wouldn’t reach out to touch the other. 

“Callum?”

“Mhmmhhmmm?” Callum was currently enjoying letting his face be stroked by Rayla’s gentle hands. It was as intimate as they had figured out how to be with the immovable grate constantly in their way. 

“I think we need to talk about our next escape plan,” she said gently. 

Callum hated discussing escape ideas. Most of them hinged on putting Rayla in some sort of danger. Callum had regained some use of his legs, but was still very weak. He could walk, but there was no way he could run. 

Rayla noticed his mood deflate slightly. “It involves magic”. 

Callum’s ears perked a little at that. He hadn’t been allowed to use magic since they had gotten to the prison. Rayla didn’t want what happened to her to happen to him, so they kept it quiet. 

“Magic how?” He was curious now. 

“You need to learn the moon primal, Callum. I will help you with what I know about moon magic, but I can't do this without you. Not this time.” She wiggled her arm a little further into the grate, the metal chafing her skin. She took his hand and brought it to her mouth, kissing it several times. 

Her lips were slightly cracked and dry against his hand, but nothing could have felt more right in the moment. 

“I love you, you know,” Rayla whispered softly into his hand.

“I know Rayla, I love you too.” Tears stung in Callum’s eyes. One grate and a year and a half later, he still loved Rayla with all of his being. 

“So how do you propose I learn moon magic, and why?” He was still very curious.

“Well, we need to be able to conjure illusions like Lujanne. If we can come up with something scary enough, or threatening enough, I think there is a good chance we can walk out of here.” Rayla thought it was a solid plan and she believed in Callum. She knew if he had something to put his mind to, he could accomplish anything.

“I mean, it sounds like a good plan Rayla, but how on earth am I supposed to figure out the moon primal? I only figured out the sky primal after doing dark magic, and we both agreed I would never do that again.” His face was slightly down cast again. It was so hard for him to have a positive attitude these days, and Rayla could understand why.

“I don’t know yet. But the full moon is just a few days away. I can feel it. Maybe if I talk through everything I am feeling, that could help?”

“You’re right, we have to try. How do you feel right now?”

“Well, I know the moon has risen for the night. It’s a strange feeling. I  _ want _ to be awake. During full moons, I never sleep. I can feel the moonlight dancing inside of my veins. It’s such a cool feeling. I feel at home with the moon, much like I feel at home with you.”

  
Callum was giving her that dopey smile again. Damn, she had missed that. It had been weeks since she had gotten him to smile like the dumb human that he was.

Rayla continued, “I think that’s how I intrinsically knew that I loved you, even when I wouldn’t admit it to myself. Being with you is like being in a full moon all the time. Like, you never want it to end. I don’t know. I’m probably not being super helpful.” She cocked a smile at Callum, only to find him blushing while running his free hand through his hair.

“Uh, that was really sweet Rayla. I have never thought of magic as similar to being in love. But it makes sense now. Love is rare and precious and must be protected. Much like magic.”

Rayla smiled, “Ok sappy prince, time to get to thinking. The moon primal isn't going to learn itself!”

\----

Trying to learn the moon primal had been very slow going. Without access to the moon, it was hard to really form a deep connection to it. But Rayla insisted that you didn’t need to  _ see  _ the moon in order to feel it. 

Callum always rolled his eyes when she said that,  _ easy for her to say, she was a moon elf, for crying out loud _ . But, she never doubted him. Even after hundreds of failed attempts at a spell called  _ canem illusio _ , Rayla didn’t falter. 

“Callum, it's supposed to conjure an illusion of a dog. Just think about a dog ...in the moonlight? Heh, I am really glad I am not a mage.” Rayla was toying with him. Even six months after she first proposed he learn moon magic, she was still trying to egg him on. Callum couldn’t think of a single person in his life, even his mom, that had as much patience for him as Rayla did.

“Raylaaaaa, please let me take a break. I have been at this all day.” Callum was tired. His legs had gotten stronger, but standing for any period of time was still difficult for him. Almost two years later and they still weren’t back to normal. Whatever that skywing did to him was likely going to be permanent is some form or fashion.

Rayla rolled her eyes playfully, “Fine. Come here, love.” The nickname had stuck, every time she used it Callum felt his stomach do a little backflip. Rayla appeared at the grate.

The years had been kind to her. She was seventeen now. Callum hadn’t thought it was possible for her to get more beautiful, but she had proved him wrong, per usual. Her hair had grown to almost reach the small of her back. Her horns had grown in length as well. She hadn’t gotten much taller that Callum could tell through the grate, but the rest of her body had filled out a little more.

Callum had started having heated thoughts about her relatively soon after they had been imprisoned. He had shamed himself at first for them. She was so much more to him than her beauty. But, the thoughts had persisted. He had come to a quiet acceptance about those feelings, but he still wasn’t ready to share them with Rayla. He was afraid it would scare her, or hurt her, and she was all he had left. Still, he wanted to tell the truth. He didn’t want there to be secrets between them.

“Callum?”

Callum snapped back to attention. How long had he been staring?

Rayla was smiling slyly now, “whatcha thinking about?”

It was as if she already knew.

“Ah, nothing. I’m just lost trying to figure out the moon primal,” he lied.

Callum noticed something flicker in Rayla’s eyes. As if something had clicked. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, though. He made his way to the grate.

Rayla beckoned for his hands, which Callum gave her instantly. It was hard maneuvering them through the grate, but they had figured it out, mostly. She leaned her head down and placed his hands on her horns.

“Rub, please.”

Callum did as he was told. He started at the base of her horns, rubbing the skin that connected her skull to the velvety horns.

Rayla sighed. She very much enjoyed this kind of touch. It was decidedly different from when they first started dating. Then, it was about comfort. Now, it was something more.

The touching no longer just warmed her heart, it warmed her entire being. From the tips of her pointed ears, down through her thighs, and all the way to her toes. She knew the touch aroused her, even if she didn’t want to admit it. She also didn’t want to admit that she had been asking for the horn rubs more frequently for that exact reason. 

Rayla supposed she should tell Callum, the last thing she wanted was for him to feel as if she had used him. It wasn’t that. She loved him, and he should know the effect that had on her. But there was always that hesitation. It continued to plague her, even in the prison. They had met, fallen in love, and committed themselves to each other when they were young. She had no regrets about that. But two years later, her feelings were changing. 

The wall was beginning to take a toll, but not the kind she had expected. Each of their interactions, like this one, were more charged. It was as if there was some sort of tension between them that couldn’t be solved by thought provoking discussion. Rayla wanted something more, and she wasn’t really sure how to put it into words. 

Then, she had seen how Callum had looked at her a moment ago. Had she caught him staring at her before? Of course, they had been cooped up for two years and Rayla was an elf, she noticed  _ everything _ . But it was something about the glint in his eye and the awkward stance he had taken that had given him away. Maybe he was just as aroused by her as she was by him.

What was there to lose?

“Hey, uh, Rayla?” Callum spoke before she could open her mouth.

“Yes, my Prince?” Her voice was soft and longing.

“I kind of need to admit something.” Rayla could tell he was nervous. Shit, so was she, if he was about to say what she thought he was.

“Mmmmmm?” Callum’s hands were still massaging her horns. That heated feeling was starting to creep its way somewhere she didn't quite think she was ready to think about, yet. 

“I’ve been having some weird...thoughts.”

“Oh, thoughts about?” She was going to have to drag it out of him.

“I just, I don’t want you to think differently about me if I tell you.” Callum was using one of her trademark methods to avoid a conversation--avoidance. She couldn’t have that.

“Bold of you to assume I don’t have the same thoughts of you, my perfect, sappy human.” She gave him a sly grin.

Callum blanched. He had  _ not  _ expected her to be that forward. Rayla was always surprising him.

“Wait...I want to make sure we are on the same page here. When I say thoughts, I am talking about how ridiculously attracted I am to you. So much so that my whole body goes warm whenever I look at you a certain way...like just now.” He didn’t want to be vague about this, it was too important.

“Dummy, of course I mean the same thing and feel the same way. This,” she waved at his still working hands, “makes me feel warm inside beyond belief. When you do this, I want you to be closer to me. To hold me, to kiss me, to touch me. I want to  _ be _ with you.”

They both shuddered at her emphasis. 

“Well, there isn’t, uh, much we can do about that now...if ever.” Callum was shaking and also visibly sad at the realization.

“We will get out of here, Callum. Once you have the moon primal down, we can start envisioning that future. For now, though, I think it's healthy for both of us to dream.” She smiled at him. It was that true, loving, and genuine smile he had fallen in love with from the very beginning.

Before he knew it, the glint he had noticed in her eyes had returned, “now, come over here and let’s try and figure out this kissing thing again.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you go! Rayllum has their first awkward conversation. And yes, you should be worried about Ez...
> 
> Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Ok well, here we begin a journey that I am expecting to be MUCH longer than Best Friends.
> 
> Writing them in prison was been difficult. However, I hope I did them justice. They are still the soft and loving couple they were before, just with more challenges. 
> 
> I am very excited to see where this goes and I hope you are as well.


End file.
